


This is a Game of Love

by auraPhoenix



Category: Daft Punk
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-24
Updated: 2014-05-24
Packaged: 2018-01-26 07:18:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1679606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auraPhoenix/pseuds/auraPhoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Excited about their day off, Thomas and Guy-Man want to find something to do. But before they can decide, something goes horribly wrong with their helmets, and they find themselves whisked away to an unknown land - inside a video game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first serious fan-fiction in a few years. It may not be the best, but I wanted to get back into writing. I had this idea, and I decided to give it a shot.

     “What have we gotten ourselves into this time?” Guy-Man muttered, running a hand through his shoulder-length dark hair.

     “To be honest…I’m not entirely sure,” Thomas said, grinning awkwardly. Guy scoffed, glaring back at his taller friend.

     “There’s a huge fucking dragon over there and neither of us know what we’re doing.” Guy-Man shook his head in disbelief. At that remark, they both turned to look at the majestic winged beast, slowly descending from the blood red sky, flames burning in its eyes of gold.

 * * * * * * * * * *

     But, before we go on, let’s rewind a little.

 * * * * * * * * * *

     It was a Saturday morning. Guy-Man checked his schedule. _Nothing going on this weekend…I’m perfectly fine with that._ Smiling a rare smile, he took a pillow off their bed and threw it at Thomas. “Wake up! What happened to you getting up at 3am, hm?” Not waiting for a response, he went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee.

     “What was that for?” Thomas asked, rubbing his tired head. “We don’t have anything going on today, you know.” The lanky man went to join his friend in the kitchen, who was lighting a cigarette irritatedly.

     “Damn thing won’t light,” he sighed, frustratedly. “Anyways, I thought we could find something to do today ourselves.” Guy-Man paused for a moment, glaring at Thomas’ shirt. “That shirt again? Really?”

     “What? _I_ like it. Avocado green.” He beamed, gesturing to the garment in question.

     “You dork.” Guy-Man smirked, finally lighting the cigarette.

     Suddenly, there was an ear-splitting beeping noise. Guy, startled, dropped his cigarette, provoking a loud “fuck” from the man.

     “Our helmets seem to be glitching!” Thomas shouted over the sound, rushing to the helmets’ charging station.

     “Yeah, no shit!” Guy-Man said, following him. “Wait…what are you doing?” He watched as Thomas put on his helmet. That can’t be safe! Cursing under his breath, Guy-Man knew what he had to do.

     “I’m not letting anything happen to you!” He put on his own malfunctioning helmet, and hoped for the best.


	2. Chapter 2

     Guy-Man slowly woke up, not aware that he had passed out in the first place. _What the fuck was that?_ Rubbing his eyes, he turned to look around, expecting to see the familiar surroundings of the kitchen, or maybe another room of their house at least. Much to his dismay, he saw what seemed to be a large, winding forest. Irritated, he tried to run his hand through his hair, a habit he seemed unaware of, but something hard and metallic halted him. _That’s right; my helmet. I guess I’ve just grown so accustomed to wearing it that I didn’t even notice it was there, he thought_ , internally chuckling.

     _But wait…where’s Thomas?_ The sudden realization that his best friend was missing came as a painful shock to Guy-Man. Frantically looking around, he called out to his companion, but to no avail. Equally as shocking were the events of that morning, as he began to recall. _Why did he put the helmet on? Why the fuck did he do that?_ Guy-Man huffed, reaching for his cigarettes.

     _Wait, what?_ His cigarettes were nowhere to be found. _That’s just fucking fantastic._

     Scowling beneath his gold headgear, Guy-Man stood up, dusted himself off, and took another look at his surroundings. _No use just lying there, right? I should try to find Thomas and have the little shit what he was thinking_. And with that, he began to walk down one of the winding forest paths, not knowing where he would end up.

* * * * * * * * * *

     Thomas felt strange. Weightless, even; almost as if he was floating. Scanning his surroundings, he came to the simple conclusion that he was in a tree.

     _Wait a second. How did I end up here…?_ The last thing he could remember was trying to fix his helmet, which was still on his head. _Weren’t they malfunctioning?_ He tried removing the device, but for some reason, it was stuck. Worriedly, he made another attempt. _Is it broken? That would be terrible.._. Glancing downward, he decided that his current task should be to get out of the tree, one way or another.

     _If Guy-Man was here, he would be laughing at me. He always says I’m as tall as a tree._ Thomas smiled at his friend’s habit. He couldn’t help that he was taller than Guy.

     He hoped Guy-Man was safe — wherever he was.

     After carefully climbing down the tree, Thomas looked around at the unknown forest, hoping to see some sign of his companion. Though he didn’t see Guy-Man, he did spot a pack of cigarettes lying in the grass.

     _I’ll take that as a sign…_ Thomas thought. Suddenly, he heard a robotic shout. _And that too, I guess._

     Guy-Man burst into the clearing. Chasing after him was a strange, wolf-like creature. Before Thomas could say anything, Guy-Man had hidden behind him, as if he were a shield. Thomas sighed, not sure what to do. Frantically looking around, he noticed a rather large pebble. He tossed it at the wolf-creature. The canine snarled, then turned and darted away.

     “Thanks,” Guy-Man said breathlessly, a bit startled.

     “It’s fine,” Thomas grinned back underneath his silver helmet.

     “You have some explaining to do,” Guy crossed his arms.

     “Well, it’s a bit strange…” Thomas said awkwardly, not sure where to begin.


	3. Chapter 3

     “So, explain to me why you thought it would be a great idea to put on your malfunctioning helmet?” Guy-Man huffed, clearly annoyed.

     Thomas hadn’t really thought of that. He couldn’t have left the helmets plugged in; what would have happened? Unplugging them had done nothing. He wasn’t about to destroy them, either. He would have to have been out of his mind to do that. His sole option in that moment was to put the helmet on.

     “It was the only choice I had,” Thomas frowned. “I didn’t want them to break, or worse…”

     “Does ‘or worse’ apply to ending up who-knows-where, and getting attacked by that thing?” Guy-Man responded, arms crossed. “God. Did you ever think what could have happened to _you_? I love you Thomas, but you have to be more careful.” Realizing what he had just said, Guy-Man felt his cheeks flush. _Thank goodness he couldn’t see that_ , he thought.

     Thomas smiled to himself for a minute. Guy-Man usually never said ‘I love you’ unless he was sincere. He decided to word his response carefully. “Well, I didn’t have time to think it through, but looking back, it seemed like the best option. And we’re alive — it’s not like they exploded or anything.” Thomas suddenly recalled his failed attempt at removing his helmet. _Has Guy-Man tried it yet? I’d rather figure out why mine wouldn’t come off before he does…_

     As if hearing Thomas’ internal monologue, Guy-Man reached up to take off his headgear. Thomas froze for a moment, awaiting his companion’s reaction.

     “It’s stuck,” Guy-Man stated, irritation creeping back into his voice.

     “Oh, let me try,” Thomas quickly offered. Nervously, he gripped the helmet and carefully pulled on it. “It won’t budge,” he replied, shaking his head.

     “And yours?” Guy-Man asked suspiciously.

     “Um…it’s the same,” Thomas gulped. “But, once we figure out where we are, I’m sure we can find a way to remove them without damaging them!”

     “Yeah, I guess.” Guy-Man’s response was oddly calm. “So…any idea on how to get out of this forest?”

     “We can just follow the path, and if anything jumps out at us, we’ll pelt it with rocks?” Underneath his silver helmet, Thomas grinned.

     “Let’s just go with that for now.” Thomas could tell that Guy-Man was secretly smiling.

     And so they set off.

* * * * * * * * * *

     “Is that a town?” Guy-Man asked, pointing at a series of lights in the distance. It was already getting dark outside, despite their early-morning arrival. Guy-Man was exhausted, so Thomas had offered to carry his shorter friend for a while, as he hadn’t worked out any that day. At the moment, Guy was perched upon Thomas’ back, secretly wondering how his partner was able to lift him.

     “I think so,” Thomas sped up a bit, startling Guy-Man. “Maybe there will be a nice hotel we can stay at until we figure out our location.”

     “Hopefully with some good food…like baguettes. I’m starving.” With that statement, Guy-Man’s stomach growled, causing Thomas to chuckle.

     “Well…I just realized something.” Guy-Man raised an eyebrow beneath his golden headgear. Thomas continued, “We won’t be able to eat unless we can get our helmets off.”

     “…Shit,” was Guy-Man’s simple reply.

     “I’m sure that once we get to the town, we’ll find a way. Don’t worry,” Thomas reassured him.

     Soon enough, the two reached the town. But something seemed amiss — it was eerily quiet, and blood was splattered against the wall on a shop.

     “What the hell happened here?” Guy-Man muttered, awaiting an answer he knew Thomas didn’t have. Thomas just looked up at the sky, lost and confused.


	4. Chapter 4

     “So…what now?” Guy-Man asked, desperate to break the silence. He had never seen Thomas being so quiet; usually it was the other way around, with Thomas doing all of the talking. Thomas looked thoughtful, yet worried.

     “Maybe we should call the police?” Thomas wasn’t entirely sure what to do. They had no idea where they were, nor did they know what had caused the mess before them. Were there even police there? Looking around, there was nothing to indicate that this was even a modern town. There were no cars, and upon further inspection, the lights they had viewed from a distance were actually blazing torches. The houses were all made of brick or stone. The streets were also stone, arranged in ornate and elaborate designs. Thomas felt his heart sink. The more he saw, the more uncertain he became, as strange as it seemed to him.

     “How?” Guy-Man asked, also observing the town.

     “I…don’t know. We could find that hotel?” Thomas felt uneasy leaving the blood stains unattended without a more thorough investigation, but standing around doing nothing certainly wouldn’t help. “Maybe we can find a phone, or some other way to contact the authorities, whatever they may be. And then, we can remove our helmets and get some sleep.” Thomas had hoped that his voice wouldn’t give away his fear, but he heard it tremble and internally scolded himself.

     “Well, this has been one shitty day off,” Guy-Man sighed, following Thomas as he walked down the road. Thomas smiled.

* * * * * * * * * *

     “Welcome, come right this way!” An excited voice greeted Thomas and Guy-Man as they entered a building, marked simply as the ‘Inn’. “Are you here to spend the night?” Looking to his left, Thomas saw the speaker standing behind a long wooden counter, the owner of the inn.

     “Um, yes please, if it’s not too much trouble,” Thomas replied politely. The inn’s owner nodded, and handed the tall man a key.

     “Use any rooms you like. They’re all free right now,” the owner grinned.

     “Th-thanks, but we’ll only need one.” At Thomas’ statement, Guy-Man blushed furiously and began to make his way down the hall, once again in silence.

     After the two had settled into their rather plain room, Guy-Man sighed, exhausted from their long day. He sat on the bed, thinking about their odd experience. Then a strange thought came to him.

     “I think there’s something…off about this place — and not just because it’s living in the past,” he quickly amended, feeling Thomas struggle with Guy’s own helmet.

     “Oh?” Thomas grunted, tugging at the golden headgear.

     “Well…that man at the counter didn’t even acknowledge our helmets, and I doubt he knows who we are. And this key apparently works on every room. Doesn’t that seem a little…weird to you?” Guy-Man waited for his companion’s reassuring answer.

     “Hm…it does, doesn’t it…I noticed that, too,” Thomas said between his attempts to remove the helmet. Guy-Man could tell his friend wasn’t having much luck.

     “Ah, let’s just call it a night,” Guy-Man muttered, lying down. Thomas nodded solemnly, then laid down against him, feeling his warmth.


	5. Chapter 5

     Guy-Man woke with a start. Despite being with Thomas, his dreams had been anything but peaceful. As he lay there, he felt cold sweat on his forehead and saw only darkness. He remained motionless, unsure of what was going on.

     _Wait a minute!_ Careful not to wake his partner, Guy-Man moved his right arm to feel for his helmet. _Still there…that was frightening._ He sighed quietly. He had hoped this whole situation was just a nightmare, something he could wake up from…

     _What did I even dream about?_ It was unusual or Guy-Man to wake up so suddenly, and earlier than Thomas at that. Yesterday was a bit of a blur to him, but the troubling presence of his helmet reminded him of their experience. _I can’t usually sleep with it on…why the fuck was I able to this time?_ Guy-Man sat up gently, glancing back at Thomas, who groaned. Guy paused. His companion was looking back at him, or so he believed.

     “‘Morning,” Guy-Man greeted him, not sure Thomas was really awake.

     “Good morning. You feeling recharged?” Thomas laughed.

     Guy-Man playfully swatted Thomas’ hand. “You dork!” He scowled, though inside he smirked. _Leave it to him to make robot jokes at a time like this._ "Yes, I am," Guy replied at last.

     “How are you doing?” Thomas sounded concerned, which concerned Guy-Man.

     “I’m fine, why?” Guy-Man responded.

     “Ah…well…this whole helmet situation and all…” Thomas started.

     “You mean hellish situation?” Guy-Man interjected.

     “Yeah, that,” Thomas rubbed his neck nervously. “But why do they seem to be functioning perfectly now? I mean, other than not being able to take them off…” Thomas felt himself begin to ramble.

     “I don’t—” Guy-Man started, but paused to stare at Thomas’ headgear, shocked by what he was seeing. The chrome helmet’s dark screen lit up, displaying a seemingly random set of numbers. “Uh, Thomas?”

     “What?” Thomas’ voice had become muffled and distorted, but despite this, Guy-Man could hear his puzzled tone.

     “Your helmet…it _is_ acting strange…” Guy-Man answered quietly.

     “Huh?” Thomas reached up to touch the screen, but quickly yanked his hand back. “It’s burning hot! But only on the outside…What about yours?” Thomas gestured towards Guy-Man’s golden helmet.

     “Wait, mine’s doing that too? What the fuck does this mean?” Guy-Man sighed, frustrated. This would probably end up being another long day.

     “Maybe there’s a reason we couldn’t remove them,” Thomas’ voice had returned to normal. “You know, it kind of reminds me of a video screen…”

     Guy-Man took a step back, startled. “Does that mean…we’re _in_ a video game?”

     “Well, think about it. Our helmets, the town, the key that could open any door, the strange creature that attacked you…it all adds up.” Thomas sounded thoughtful as he tapped his foot against the wooden flooring.

     “This is just getting shittier and shittier,” Guy-Man muttered, provoking a sympathetic chuckle from Thomas.


	6. Chapter 6

     “So…what should we do about this mess?” Guy-Man huffed, his arms folded against his chest. “As interesting as this idea is, I want to go home.”

     “Hm…well, in many video games these days, there’s a beginning and an end. A lot of them have some sort of plotline that you follow, which leads you to the final opponent, or ‘final boss’. After defeating it, the game typically ends. Maybe if we follow the game’s story up to that point, we can escape?” Thomas’ plan sounded convincing, almost too good to be true.

     “Well, if that’s the case…where does the story start? What do we do? Why do we have to do it?” Guy-Man’s mind whirled with questions. Glancing at Thomas, he noticed his tall companion poking at the screen on his helmet. “What are you doing? You’ll burn yourself!”

     “I found the menu to the game!” Thomas exclaimed. “Look at all of the options!” As Thomas tapped one set of numbers, Guy-Man watched as both helmet screens became transparent. He could see Thomas’ warm, chestnut brown eyes looking cheerfully back at him.

     “It’s a shame I can’t see your entire face,” Guy-Man said, his yearning evident in his voice.

     “Well, I don’t know how practical this is, anyways,” Thomas sighed. “The menu options disappear.” Guy-Man hadn’t even noticed the colorful list on either side of his helmet. The bars reminded him of his first helmet.

     “Whoa!” Guy-Man yelped. Thomas had just tapped an option on _his_ helmet. “What was that for?!” Guy-Man growled, rubbing his head. Thomas shushed him, then motioned towards a holographic image that had appeared. “What the fuck?” Guy whispered.

     A message made of digital text was playing. Thomas watched in wonder. _Now we can figure out what we’re doing here!_ He hadn’t shown it, but he was quite anxious to get home as well. However, they had come all this way; even if his idea of getting out didn’t work, he wanted to go on this adventure. _The experience would be good for us!_ Snapping out of his thoughts, Thomas turned his attention back to the hologram.

_WELCOME TO THE GAME. IN THIS WORLD, YOU WILL FIND ADVENTURS THAT YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE IMAGINED. IF YOU ARE READING THIS MESSAGE NOW, THEN YOU MUST HAVE BELIEVED YOU WERE HAVING TROUBLE WITH YOUR HELMETS._

     Guy-Man snorted. “That’s an understatement.”

     _WE WOULD LIKE TO INFORM YOU THAT THIS WAS NOT AN ERROR. THIS WAS ALWAYS MEANT TO HAPPEN. YOU WERE DESTINED TO BE A PART OF THIS TEST—_

     “Bullshit,” Guy-Man said.

     —THOMAS AND GUY-MANUEL.

     Guy-Man froze. _Our names? Guy-Manuel certainly isn’t a common name…_

     The message continued. _THE FIRST THING YOU MUST DO IS OBTAIN SOME GOOD WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT, AND MAYBE A LITTLE EXTRA COIN. YOU SHOULD ALSO PARTICIPATE IN BATTLES TO GAIN EXPERIENCE, LEVEL UP, AND COMPLETE YOUR QUEST. THEN MAYBE — JUST MAYBE — YOU CAN LEAVE THIS GAME. FAREWELL FOR NOW, ADVENTURERS._ The message clicked off. Guy-Man and Thomas exchanged glances; one angry, the other worried.

     Thomas finally broke the silence. “Well, we should probably get moving.”

     “Yeah…” Guy-Man responded quietly.

     And so the two set off once again.


End file.
